GRAND HAVEN, MI -- John English, a Life EMS paramedic who is presumed drowned following a dive into chilly Lake Michigan waters Sunday, may be missing, but he isn’t 'alone' – something fellow paramedics made sure of a day later as they stood watch at the Grand Haven public pier.

Dozens gathered at the Grand Haven channel, standing in front of the U.S. Coast Guard station during a Monday night vigil. As of 9 p.m. Monday, English's body hadn’t yet been recovered by the Ottawa County Sheriff's Office Marine Unit.

Shannon Gollnick, director of central operations for Life EMS Ambulance in Kent and Ottawa counties, said paramedics have been taking turns occupying the public pier, waiting for English’s body to be brought to shore.

“We were here since 1 a.m. (today) and someone has been here as long as he’s been missing. We didn’t want him to be alone out there, so the medics have been posting here so he’s not alone. We want to meet him here, to transport him to his final destination,” Gollnick said.

English, 47, is presumed drowned after going missing in Lake Michigan Sunday afternoon. The Ottawa County Sheriff's Department and the U.S. Coast Guard are still searching for English, but the effort was changed from a search-and-rescue to a recovery mission late Sunday, hours after he went into the water.

Friends, family members and former EMS students who knew English years ago came to pay their respects at the vigil.

Among them was Lindsey Robinson, of Allendale, who was an EMS student in 1999 and learned about English through Facebook.

English was her former EMS instructor at a now defunct EMS school in Sparta.

“He was unforgettable,” Robinson said, who was accompanied by her husband who also spent time in the same classroom years ago as one of English’s students.

Robinson said English was “energetic and passionate” and made “learning fun.”

“Once you met him, you’d never forget him,” she said. “It’s just so, so sad.”

English reportedly dove into the water from a 37-foot Sea Ray after the boat had stopped on a trip from Muskegon to Grand Haven. He resurfaced from the dive but appeared to be struggling, and efforts of other passengers to get him a life ring failed.

The Walker resident and father of two worked as an emergency response technician and educator at Life EMS Ambulance, a Grand Rapids-based ambulance service covering eight Michigan counties.

Gollnick said English was a paramedic for 20 years and was “very good” at what he did. He was personable, funny and well-liked, Gollnick said.

“He was a quite the guy,” Gollnick said smiling. “He lit up a room. John was one of the best. He had affected so many people in his career.”

That’s why officials opened the vigil up to the public, Gollnick said.

Jill Whitcomb, who went to high school with English, said she attended the vigil because she and English “have been friends for years.”

Through tears, Whitcomb described a longtime friendship with English -- a father who was “very, very proud” of his daughters, and who always made people laugh.

“We met at Griffins games, traded hockey stories and texted some times. He was just as fun now as he was in high school,” she said.

The sparklers handed out at the vigil – in lieu of candles – was meant to reflect English’s fun side.

Paramedics decided the vigil shouldn’t be a typical “candlelit” vigil because that “wasn’t really his thing,” Gollnick said.

“So we’re doing sparklers,” he added.

As sparklers were handed out, some of the Life EMS paramedics pinned black ribbons to the center of their EMS badges.

Some cried, others hugged each other without saying anything at all. Many at the vigil expressed shock English was really gone.